Vol 1: Chapter 20
* Six Mine *
Duke Achenbach was killed in the mine, and mine slaves rioted – As soon as such reports surfaced, an advanced party of 100 were sent to grasp the actual situation.
Six Mine is very important to the Achenbach Dukedom – in addition to Keith Grand Federation, and even considered indispensable in this world – that it would drop as many as 100 people just for an investigation.
A young woman was exceptionally promoted as the captain of this advanced party. It was due to her 【Commanding Technique★★★】 skill. This skill helps her instructions to be followed and keeps the troops disciplined.
However, even with such a woman at the front, it was not possible to clear away the unrest that spread among the troops as they approached Six Mine.
「–It was a monster… A monster…」
「–Don’t go near Six Mine…」
They acquired fragmented information from adventurers who were in the mine on the day of the riot, in a town a little away from Six Mine. They trembled and couldn’t even speak properly.
The mine was also open to adventurers. Since the mine management would buy rare skill orbs for a high price if found, adventurers looking to get rich quickly visited often.
They were enthusiastic about the mine, but to put it the other way around, their loyalty was non-existent, so they fled at a glance when the riot occurred.
However, the problem was not the riot itself, but the “monster” that appeared afterwards.
「They say it was a dragon?」
「Yeah. Almost all the adventurers said the same thing. But it seems that they only saw a silhouette because it appeared at night…」
All of the information gathered by the troops indicated the existence of a “dragon”.
「If a dragon really appeared after a few years… it’s really going to be tough. What’s vexing is that we can’t get any information from the mine soldiers.」
Mine soldiers can’t leave the mine because they are the guards of the mine. In addition, contact with the mine has been interrupted because the magic communication device was destroyed, as such they could only gather information from the escaped adventurers.
They questioned a few fugitive slaves who were caught in one of the towns on the way, but the slaves saw almost nothing. It seems that they were all focused on escaping.
「Still, it’s strange that no one came to make contact.」
Even if communications were disrupted, they still have horses. And even if there were no horses, they still have legs.
Despite that, it was strange that they didn’t come across a single mine soldier.
「At worst… they’re probably only left with the bare minimum number of men to protect the mine. No, I shouldn’t get weak-willed here. Let’s hope we can get some news from the town at the foot of the mine.」
But the captain’s hopes were soon betrayed.
「…Wha, what is this…」
The place which seemed to be the town was in ashes.
Traces of burned houses, black smoke still rising to the sky, destroyed barriers – and charred remains of what seemed to be human.
The troops were about to vomit on sight, but the captain ordered, “All troops, be on guard!”, which helped them endure. The troops, empowered by their captain’s skill, scattered around the town looking for survivors. In the town of originally about a thousand people, only about 100 people were left — they were holed up in the town mayor’s mansion, which somehow managed to escape danger.
「–It was a dragon.」
「–I want to leave as soon as possible. But my mother injured her leg…」
「–Light rained down from above. I thought it was the end of the world.」
「–The town was on fire… We couldn’t do anything…」
They heard from the residents who were still shocked. As all reports indicated, there indeed seemed to be a dragon – one that could fly through the sky, at that.
However, there were no mine soldiers here, and even the people in the town have not seen them either.
「What about the fugitive slave? I want to know the whereabouts of the 6-star skill orb especially.」
It is almost certain that the operation of the mine will be suspended and that it will take some time to recover. It is a major blow, but they can at least save face if they can find the 6-star skill orb 【Shadow King★★★★★★★】.
The troops shook their heads. There was no information.
「…In the end, we have no choice but to go to the mine… We won’t know anything without asking the mine soldiers.」
The captain decided to leave 30 people in the town as communication and security personnel, and headed to the mine with the rest of the 70 people.
However, no one could derive at this time that this decision would lead to the “worst scenario.”
The captain and her troops made camp in the devastated town – it was the same night as when Reiji and Raikira walked down the night street – and the next morning, they departed for the mine.
The road was tough.
The road surface that connects Six Mine that produces skill orbs and the town at the foot of the mountain was regularly maintained, naturally. However, what they found was craters on the ground everywhere and trees knocked down, blocking the road.
They also found a mine soldier who was burned to a crisp. When the number exceeded 10, the captain gave up on transporting the bodies. She decided that confirming the status of the mine should come first.
As they exited the thick forest, the mine began to come into sight – but it was different from the mine that the captain had seen once before.
「Is it cut in half…?」
The mine, which was compact as a mountain, was parted into left and right, as though cut with a kitchen knife. The surface of the earth near the mine had turned glass-like due to being exposed to extreme high heat.
There was no sign of people. Nor any animals.
The captain and the troops stood at the entrance of the mine with maximum caution. From there, they should have seen buildings spread out on the ground, and wall houses standing in parallel to the wall.
But almost all of it was destroyed, crushed by debris, or burnt. Corpses of mine soldiers and slaves littered the ground. The smell of burnt meat filled the air.
Several members of the troop vomited, but the captain did not use her skill to inspire them.
She couldn’t.
Because, at the centre of the large cave – it was uncertain if it can even be called a cave because the hole in the ceiling has already widened and has collapsed – there was a huge yellow body.
A body with scales larger than the shield carried by the territory soldiers, a brilliant lustre, and swaying light – mana – covering its surface.
The body was small but quite wide around, hundreds of thousands of needles – like a hedgehog – sticking out on its back. The tail was wrapped around the body.
The wings were folded. Huge wings, if unfold, can easily exceed the large cave. And hidden behind those wings was a huge head.
「————」
Everyone was at a loss for words.
The yellow mass was so well-shaped that it gave off a certain sense of beauty.
However, the emotion that assaulted the troops was fear.
The kind of fear that humans have held since ancient times, the kind where your body stops moving in the presence of an overwhelmingly powerful being.
–CLICK
The eyes hidden behind the wings opened. It was strange that everyone here was aware that “the eyes opened” when they couldn’t see behind the wings.
The yellow head lifted up and lorded over the advanced party.
The round, golden eyes were like giant jewels itself.
The mouth opened wide to left and right. Each tooth was thick enough to be an armful.
《—Unpleasant—》
There was no sound. If there had been, everything would have been blown away by the sound pressure.
However, the thoughts directly reached the mind.
《—Children of greedy men. Have you come to further destroy my home—》
The captain was relieved.
The “Dragon” – she didn’t know if this was a true “dragon”, but if this wasn’t a “dragon”, what else can be a “dragon”, she thought, and recognised it as a “dragon” – had intelligence and was trying to communicate.
And the dragon was angry. The reason was completely unknown, but the cause could be “mining operation” or “more soldiers have rushed in here”.
And the consequence of the dragon’s anger is the sight that spread around her.
(Inspire myself!!!)
The captain applied 【Commanding Technique】 to herself and immediately focused on the dragon.
「No! We just came to check the situation! If you wish for us to leave, we shall leave right away!」
Whether or not the dragon heard the counterargument, it lifted its head and looked at the sky.
And the wings spread.
「Waaaaaaahhhh!!!」
In one flap of the wing, everyone, including the captain, was blown away.
《–If you still hadn’t learned your lesson, then I shall instill more fear–》
The captain got up and saw that the dragon had already risen high into the sky. Then, it shook its wings, and took off in a certain direction, disappearing from sight immediately.
As the captain felt grateful from the very bottom of her heart for having narrowly escaped death, the very next second chills ran through her body.
「Oh shit.. This is bad! This is so bad!」
「Are you okay, captain?」
「That dragon is going to attack further!」
They had just come here–
「Map! Pull out the map!」
「Y-Yes, here.」
「……This is the worst!!」
As she further confirmed the direction in which the dragon flew, the captain was aghast.
It was the direction of the capital of the dukedom – the most populous place in the vicinity.
「All troops! Look for magic tools for long-distance communication! Move right away! Postpone treatment for the injured! Fast!」
The “instruction” was no longer “instruction”. It was more of a sad cry.
「If we don’t, the dukedom capital will be destroyed!」
However, the troops hurriedly scraped through the debris first, the mine soldier’s garrison second, and then the branch office of the Adventurer’s Guild.
1 hour later, the magic tool for long-distance communication was safely found at the branch office of the Adventurer’s Guild. The mine soldier’s communication device was completely damaged and couldn’t be operated.
30 minutes after that, they safely activated the magic tool and sent a message to the Adventurer’s Guild in the dukedom capital.
『Emergency communication from Six Mine. The mine is destroyed. A dragon is aiming for the capital. Prepare defenses ASAP!』
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